Americas > Caribbean > Bahamas > Bahamas People Profile

Bahamas: Bahamas People Profile

2015/11/28

Bahamas People and Culture

The total population in Bahamas was last recorded at 0.4 million people in 2014 from 0.1 million in 1960, changing 245 percent during the last 50 years. Population in Bahamas averaged 0.24 Million from 1960 until 2014, reaching an all time high of 0.38 Million in 2013 and a record low of 0.11 Million in 1960. Population in Bahamas is reported by the World Bank

Bahamas Population 1960-2015

Bahamas Population

The Bahamas has an estimated 2015 population of 387,500, which makes it the 177th most populous country in the world. The last official census took place in 1990, finding a population of 255,000.

The capital and largest city is Nassau, with a population of 255,000. The next-largest city is Freeport, with a population of about 50,000.

Bahamas Population 1960-2015

Bahamas Demographics

The population of the Bahamas is 85% African, 12% European and 3% Asian and 3% Latin Americans. Baptists account for 35% of the population, followed by Anglican (15%), Roman Catholic (13%) and Pentecostal (8%). The region was originally inhabited by the Lucayan, a branch of Arawakan-speaking Taino, although they were later shipped to Hispaniola for slavery by the Spaniards, who never colonized the Bahamas. For most of the 16th century, the islands were abandoned.

Afro-Bahamians are nationals with primary ancestry in West Africa. Afro-Bahamians represent the largest ethnic group in the country, accounting for 85%, with a Haitian community of around 80,000. There are also 17,000 Whites living in the country.

European Bahamians number 38,000 and are primarily descendants of English Puritans and American Loyalists who came to the islands in the 17th and 18th century. The account for 12% of the population and the largest minority group. The Bahamas is currently growing at a rate of around 1.5%. At this rate, the country will reach 396,000 by 2020.